The Guthrie County Board of Supervisors met in regular session Tuesday.

Midwest Partnership Executive Director Sarah Gomez and Iowa Workforce Development Region 8 Coordinator Sherri Vaughn presented on the Home Base Iowa (HBI) Initiative. Gomez and Vaughn are working to include Guthrie, as well as Adair County, on the list of counties that sponsor the statewide veterans employment program. Guthrie County already has the required number of partnering businesses to become a Home Base Iowa community. The Board approved the resolution adopting the initiative and will continue to implement steps to finalize the partnership. A formal ceremony will be held in the coming months.

The Board then reviewed several departmental 2019 fiscal year budgets. The county libraries requested an increase of $8,000, an approximately 7% increase. The Board approved half of that request, allocating an extra $4,000. The Board also heard budget proposals from the following departments: Information Technology, Custodian, Facilities Management, and General Services. Among the proposed improvements and changes, the Board discussed: cyber security training, a new county website, security cameras, backup hardware, and upgrades to the courthouse elevator.

The Board also reviewed the Iowa Governmental Health Care Plan (IGHCP) renewal. The Board would like to stay with their current Alliance Select Health Plan. However, the majority of IGHCP wants to change to Blue Choice. The vote among IGHCP members will take place on February 16th.